Water closets in homes lack a method to conveniently store, protect, and access personal items needed while sitting on the toilet. Examples of such personal items include spare toilet paper rolls, moistened wipes, sanitary napkins/tampons, napkin/tampon disposable bags, lotions/sprays, air fresheners/deodorizers, and urinary catheters.
Either storage is non-existent or the design results in one or more of the following: items are unprotected and subject to contamination; items are enclosed but visible; items are inaccessible while sitting on the toilet; or the storage system excessively protrudes into otherwise usable space. For shelving or cabinet systems behind and above the toilet, a user may have to stand up and rotate to access the storage. In the case of storage systems located elsewhere, but not within reach of the person on the toilet, a user may have to venture away from the toilet.
In addition, current storage systems are not designed for the shape, size, quantity, and use of many personal items. Examples include storage of multiple spare rolls of toilet paper in a manner not requiring excessive deformation of those rolls, and storage of personal items and original containers/packaging without deformation. In addition, current storage systems do not partition the storage volume into customized, reconfigurable compartments.
Furthermore, toilet users need to dispose of non-flushable items. Examples include empty toilet paper rolls, moistened wipes, sanitary napkins/tampons, and catheters. Often, a trash receptacle is either non-existent or is not within reach while sitting on the toilet. Furthermore, receptacles are frequently placed on the floor and are of an open container design. In such cases, the result is useable space consumed, and an opportunity for pets or young children to access the refuse. Lastly, trash receptacles often use disposable liners that are specific to each receptacle.
As such, considering the foregoing, it may be appreciated that there continues to be a need for novel and improved devices and methods for securing storage space in close proximity of a toilet.